Act 72 Laid to Rest - Press Release from Libertarian Party of PA

For more information contact:Doug Leard at 215-646-1502 or David Jahn (Chair) at 610-461-7755

Act 72 emerged from Pennsylvania's General Assembly as a very complicated and confusing piece of legislation. The complexity of Act 72 ensured that just about everyone could find something they did not like.

Many school boards quickly realized that Act 72 threatened their power to tax-and-spend since it gave voters the opportunity to vote against school budgets that raised taxes above the rate of inflation. So, the overwhelming majority of school boards across the state opted out because it would have made them more accountable to taxpayers and voters.

What happens next? The Libertarian party agrees something must be done in the short-term to help property owners who are threatened with the loss of their homes simply because they cannot afford the rising cost of school property taxes. But, we also see rising property taxes for what they really are, a "symptom" of an inefficient and expensive government-run education system.

It is obvious we can no longer afford to keep doing what we have always done before -- raise taxes and throw more money at our public schools. But beyond the money issue, what really needs to be fixed is the "education" side of our public schools. Many parents are dissatisfied with the public schools their children are forced to attend, and a growing number of teachers are frustrated with the constant meddling in education by government bureaucrats and politicians.

Instead of focusing on ways to shift taxes to fund our public schools, Governor Rendell and the General Assembly must begin the process of getting government out of the education business. Pennsylvania needs to encourage a free-market educational system that provides students and parents more choices, where educators have the freedom to use new and innovative teaching methods and where parents would be primarily responsible for the cost of their own child's education.

Education is far too important to be trusted in the uncaring and self-serving hands of government bureaucrats, special interest groups and politicians. We need to put education back where it belongs -- in the hands of parents and teachers!

The Libertarian Party, the third largest and fastest growing political party in Pennsylvania and the nation, continues to provide a beacon of hope for voters disillusioned by the fog of Big Government.